The brother of former EastEnders actor Gemma McCluskie, who was found dead in a canal, has pleaded guilty to her manslaughter.
Tony McCluskie, 35, claims to have suffered a "loss of control" when he killed her on 1 March. Prosecutors are still waiting for a medical report to establish how she died.
His father, Tony senior, watched from the back of the court as McCluskie appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from Belmarsh prison. He pleaded not guilty to murder then guilty to manslaughter.
Judge Gerald Gordon said a trial to decide whether it was murder or manslaughter would go ahead on 14 January before Mr Justice Fulford.
An expert on amnesia is expected to be called by the defence.
Gordon was told that Gemma McCluskie's body was found in the Regent's canal in Hackney, east London, in March. A trial was due to take place last month but had to be put off because her head was discovered in September.
The judge said the trial must not be further delayed. He said: "The family must have closure."
Tony McCluskie lived in Peter Street, Hackney, with his 29-year-old sister, who played Kerry Skinner in the BBC soap in 2001.
She went missing after attending the opening of the new Royal London hospital in Whitechapel, east London. Her limbless body was seen floating in the water a week later.
The defendant joined friends who launched extensive searches across east London to find her. Former EastEnders co-stars Natalie Cassidy and Brooke Kinsella both appealed on Twitter for help.